Contents

Route description

Route 7 is a short east-west route, serving only as a brief separation between Saffron City in the east and Celadon City in the west. The route is composed of three small terraces divided by ledges with small gaps in places to allow traversal of the route in either direction. The building giving access to the Underground Path is on the lowest level, which occupies the south of the route. The Saffron City gate is at the east of the middle level, which occupies the middle and northeast parts of the route. In most games, the route joins Celadon City in the northwest of the highest level, which occupies the northwest of the route; in HeartGold and SoulSilver, however, the route joins Celadon City directly west of the Saffron City gate, after climbing a small set of stairs in a more substantial cliff than the ledges dividing the other terraced parts of the route. A small field of tall grass is also located in the northeast of the middle terrace.

Differences among generations

In Generation I and III

The depiction of Route 7 is almost identical in Generations I and III; however, there are several minor cosmetic changes within the layout. The large patch of tall grass to the north of the route has expanded slightly on the eastern side, so in Generation III the entire area is covered with tall grass. The gaps between the ledges on the eastern segment were also widened significantly. Apart from this, most aesthetic features have been enhanced. Trees have become bigger, flowers are more visible, and most other sprites have been upgraded to Generation III standards.

In Generation II

In Generation II, Route 7 is only subject to several minor changes. The route has become slightly smaller and the large patch of tall grass to the north of the route has expanded to the eastern end of the route. The Underground Path has been closed due to vandalism.

In Generation IV

In Generation IV, the layout has changed significantly. The route is now a straight path between Celadon and Saffron. The ledge area at the end of the route is no longer the end and is blocked off by trees and has greatly decreased in size. A set of stairs is added near the Celadon entrance. The grass patch area also has expanded northward and there is no longer grass before the gate door.

In the anime

Route 7 appeared in Primeape Goes Bananas as a rocky, mountainous area, as opposed to the green, grassy route seen in the games. After calling Professor Oak, Ash and his friends stopped for a lunch, during which they were approached by a wild Mankey. Ash decided to capture it, but Mankey blocked the Poké Ball with a rice ball. Mankey then proceeded to steal Ash's hat and taunt him, greatly angering the young Trainer. Before Ash could get his hat back, Team Rocket showed up in yet another attempt to steal Pikachu. When Mankey began sniffing at Team Rocket, James kicked it away, angering the Pig Monkey Pokémon and causing it to evolve into a Primeape.

Both groups were then forced to run away from the wildly thrashing Primeape. Eventually, when Primeape caught up to Ash, the Pallet Town Trainer realized that he in order to become a better Trainer, he needed to catch more Pokémon, and as such, proceeded to battle Primeape. While Bulbasaur and Squirtle failed to weaken Primeape, Charmander was luckier, as it ended up learning Rage during the battle, boosting its power the more it was attacked. Thanks to this, Charmander was able to defeat Primeape, allowing Ash to catch it. After using Primeape to send Team Rocket blasting off again, Ash and his friends found out that thanks to Primeape chasing them, they had arrived in Celadon City much faster than they had originally anticipated. While the group entered the city, Team Rocket found themselves from in the middle of a pack of angry Primeape.

In the manga

Route 7 in Pokémon Adventures

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Route 7 appeared in Wartortle Wars, where Red was first seen defeating a wild Primeape, giving his Bulbasaur enough experience to evolve into Ivysaur. Red was then approached by Green, who offered to sell him a set of useful items for 6000. Red accepted the offer and bought the items, but when he soon after was confronted by a wild Pinsir and tried battling it, the items proved to be utterly useless, causing Red to realize that Green had cheated him out of his money.